Memorial service Tuesday for slain TSA officer

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LAX Airport Police officer Tom Dye passes the U.S. Honor Flag to Transportation Security Administration honor guard Brandy Richards as it arrives at Los Angeles International Airport in memory of TSA agent Gerardo Hernandez, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 in Los Angeles. Hernandez a TSA officer killed by a rampaging gunman at Los Angeles International Airport was honored Wednesday afternoon in a solemn ceremony at the airport.

The life of the Transportation Security Administration officer killed by a gunman at Los Angeles International Airport is being celebrated at a memorial service Tuesday.

The service for Gerardo Hernandez began with a solemn eulogy. It was followed by a rousing version of the "Amazing Grace," performed by a gospel choir made up of blue-uniformed TSA officers.

Among those attending were Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and LA County Sheriff Lee Baca.

Hernandez was the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty when a gunman pulled a rifle from a bag and shot the 39-year-old father of two on Nov. 1.

Two other TSA officers and a teacher were injured before airport police wounded the gunman. Paul Ciancia (see-AHN'-see-uh) remains hospitalized and has been charged with crimes that could get him the death penalty.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

The Transportation Security Administration officer who was killed by a rampaging gunman at Los Angeles International Airport is being honored Tuesday at a public memorial service.

Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole, Attorney General Eric Holder, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers, Mayor Eric Garcetti and other officials were expected to speak at Tuesday's service for Gerardo Hernandez at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

Hernandez, 39, was the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty. Airports across the nation held a moment of silence Friday at the time he was shot.

Born in El Salvador, Hernandez was the youngest of four boys. He moved to the United States when he was 15. Four years later, he met his wife, and they married on Valentine's Day in 1998.

Friends described him as doting father of two.

Hernandez had worked at LAX since 2010. He was shot a week before his 40th birthday.

Hernandez was checking IDs and boarding passes at Terminal 3 on Nov. 1 when a gunman walked up, pulled a semi-automatic rifle from a duffel bag and shot him at point-blank range, then shot him again as he lay wounded, authorities have said.

The shots sent swarms of passengers fleeing to find hiding places. Two other TSA officers and a teacher waiting at a security checkpoint were wounded within minutes before airport police shot the gunman four times in the mouth and leg.

Paul Ciancia, who remains hospitalized, has been charged with first-degree murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport, but he will not appear in court until he is cleared by doctors.

Ciancia, a 23-year-old unemployed motorcycle mechanic, had a handwritten letter stating that he made the conscious decision to try to kill multiple TSA officers and "instill fear in your traitorous minds." Authorities have said he targeted TSA officers, although a precise motive for the attack remained unclear.

Federal agents were investigating possible ties between Ciancia and a widely circulated conspiracy theory that the U.S. government is preparing to establish a totalitarian state.